by Bruce Maulden

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Media Fourth-Estated

Fog already starting to burn-off this early Friday on California’s north coast as we continue our merry way through some way-nice weather — no rain for an-apparent long while, and sunshine afternoons.

Dan Rather’s catch on the presidential season — bad news: ‘“This is a dirty, nasty election. And it is only going to get worse. The reporters in the trenches need no lecture from me. They are walking through daily minefields, bracing themselves against winds of discontent whose effects no one can predict.”‘

I.e., The Donald — the worse example of a presidential candidate, most-likely, ever. And the real horror is the “shit stain” just might have a shot at the Oval Office, mainly because he doesn’t give a shit, the mouth doesn’t give a shit. The media has a part in the plan, too. Since starting this scorched-earth campaign, The Donald has received the equivalent of $1.9 billion in television coverage — he’s spent only $10 million on paid advertising. Even the news-coverage up front, but maybe that part is ending.

Journalists might be beyond the pissed-off, like Dan Rather. An illustration of the stance from Paul Waldman at the Washington Post this morning — key point:

If this evolution in coverage takes hold, we can trace it to the combined effect of a few events and developments happening in a short amount of time. The first was Trump’s press conference on Tuesday, the ostensible purpose of which was to answer questions about a fundraiser he held in January to raise money for veterans’ groups. In the course of the press conference, Trump was at his petulant, abusive worst, attacking reporters in general and those in the room. “The political press is among the most dishonest people that I’ve ever met,” he said, saying to one journalist who had asked a perfectly reasonable question, “You’re a sleaze.” These kinds of criticisms are not new — anyone who has reported a Trump rally can tell you how Trump always tosses some insults at the press, at which point his supporters turn around and hurl their own abuse at those covering the event — but Trump seemed particularly angry and unsettled.

Watching this presidential cycle has been unsettling, never before has a pure-100-percent douchebag blanketed the entire system, blowing facts, data, reality, right out the window. A scumball, fraudulent, hard-hearted asshole could be running this country. Be afraid, be very afraid…